Starter Heat Soak

[philip]

Something that has been a characteristic of this truck, even before I acquired it is ... the starter going on the fritz after getting heat soaked on a hot day. This usually happens after a lot of stop and go traffic or shortly after a freeway run on a hot day. Let the truck sit for 10-20 minutes ... click click click from the starter solenoid. Up until now, the workaround has been to short between the starter solenoid wire and the starter positive post with a short screwdriver. Starts right up like nothing was ever wrong.

On suggestion from a Maxima owner on the MSN group, I took a close look at what is an easily overlooked souce for this problem; the negative cable / body / vehicle harnass ground point on the battery box.

INTERESTING discovery.

The sheet metal battery support was still painted white AND the side of the battery ground cable facing the painted surface was burned black! The other side of this cable connection facing the harnass ground terminal (eyelet) was fairly clean.

So I got out the heavy duty wire brush and removed all the white body paint from the sheet metal and all burned debris from the negative cable connector. Reassemble.

So far today ... and the truck was out in 100 degree temperatures with several hot soaks, NO MORE click click click from the starter solenoid! A few more days of this heat will tell.

[Zoltan]

Hey Philip,

since I rebuilt the ignition switch and got rid of the push start button and the flip switch, I never had a starting problem. Just wanted to let you know...

[philip]

Hey Philip,

since I rebuilt the ignition switch and got rid of the push start button and the flip switch, I never had a starting problem. Just wanted to let you know...

Maahvolous! But DO check this vehicle harnass grounding point. IF your truck's original battery ground cable has been replaced, this questionable vehicle harnass ground remains. This is how the starter solenoid (and everything else in the harnass) completes circuit to ground.

DO inspect, disassemble, and wire brush all conducting surfaces of this battery box grounding point.

[philip]

SNIP
DO inspect, disassemble, and wire brush all conducting surfaces of this battery box grounding point.

It's been about 4-5 days since cleaning up the wiring harness ground at the battery box. So far, I'd say MOST of the apparent hot soak phenomenon cleared up. The truck has exhibited the dreaded heat related "click click click....." only ONCE. And even then, it took only 5 or 6 attempts before the starter complied.